Minister of state in PMO Prithviraj Chauhan told Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the government had given the go-ahead to security agencies to start experimenting with ‘masking’ high-resolution images on the website. The agencies will be using advanced space technology under the guidance of the ministries of defence and science and technology, the sources said.

Sources in the government told DNA that the government is seeking opinion from the ministries and intelligence agencies on how to classify sensitive locations and installations. It is also looking at creating a national list of sensitive installations.

The move, similar to the steps taken by China and other authoritarian governments regarding various Internet facilities, is not being received well by everyone in the government.

Some sources say that the move wouldn’t go down well with India’s image as a liberal democracy and could damage its efforts to attract foreign direct investment, especially in the booming technology sector.